Australian Teen Leads The Way In Password Security

An 18 year old Australian teenager is looking to revolutionise the future of tech security with his new idea, which use photos instead of text or numbers as your password. The app, uSig, which will soon be launched, will allow you to choose a photo from your mobile device to act as a password for various mobile login websites. This is cool stuff.

Apparently there's a need for this additional security, since hacking passwords is becoming more and more common these days. Let's be honest tho, we aren't helping ourselves…check out this list of the most commonly used passwords from 2013.

This kid, Sam Crowther, figured out how to turn a photo of your choice into a completely unique 512-character code that is nearly impossible to steal. So when you're ready to login to a site, you would be prompted with all the photos stored on your device from which you then choose the correct one. The more photos you have, the more difficult it would be for someone to guess.

It's always interesting to think about the future of technology, and how new ideas can make other ideas completely obsolete. This app isn't available just yet. Until it is, take some extra measures to stay safe when it comes to your password! Here's a few ideas:

How to create better passwords:

1. Make sure your password is long – it should be at least eight characters long.The more the better.

2. Use a combination of numbers and letters, symbols and upper and lower case.

3. Avoid using words that are easy to guess, such as your name, your birthday, your pet's name, where you live or work.

4. Don't use the same password for different online accounts. If a hacker discovers your social media log in details they could then have a field day with your online banking and shopping etc.

5. They should be as 'random' as possible. This means 123456 is a terrible password and 654321 is only slightly better.